# indexing

Diagnoses Google Search Console indexing issues, sets up noindex rules, and guides page removal workflows.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 1200 installs · ★ 1062
- Author: kostja94
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/kostja94/marketing-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/seo/technical/indexing/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-10-21
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/indexing

## What it does

This skill guides technical SEO troubleshooting for Google Search Console Coverage reports. It explains what to do when pages are marked as "Crawled - currently not indexed", how to fix soft-404 errors, and how to configure canonical URLs.

It provides clear rules for Next.js assets on Vercel, where unique `dpl=` parameters often cause false alarms in Search Console. Blocking `/_next/` in `robots.txt` breaks asset loading, so the skill tells the agent to keep it accessible. A key rule here is that crawlers must access a URL to parse `noindex`; blocking that path in `robots.txt` prevents the tag from working.

The skill reads project context from `contextus.md` if available. When pages are removed, it provides a decision path between 301 redirects, 410 Gone, and 404 statuses.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add kostja94/marketing-skills --skill indexing -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/indexing/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/indexing/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add kostja94/marketing-skills --skill indexing -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/indexing/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add kostja94/marketing-skills --skill indexing -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/indexing/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install kostja94/marketing-skills indexing
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/indexing/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add kostja94/marketing-skills --skill indexing -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/kostja94/marketing-skills --path skills/seo/technical/indexing
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/indexing/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add kostja94/marketing-skills --skill indexing -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/kostja94/marketing-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/seo/technical/indexing/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- fix Crawled - currently not indexed errors in Google Search Console
- configure noindex meta tags without blocking paths in robots.txt
- resolve soft-404 issues on pages returning HTTP 200
- decide between 301 redirects, 404, and 410 Gone for removed pages

## Example prompts
- Review the Crawled - currently not indexed pages in Search Console and recommend fixes.
- Configure noindex for auth and checkout pages while checking robots.txt.
- Should I use 301 redirects or 410 Gone for these deleted URLs?

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: 991d786faa57e400.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE 991d786faa57e400
```text
---
name: indexing
description: When the user wants to fix indexing issues from Search Console, use noindex, or implement Google Indexing API. Also use when the user mentions "fix indexing," "not indexed," "Crawled - currently not indexed," "discovered - currently not indexed," "index coverage," "noindex," "noindex tag," "pages not indexed," "why not indexed," "request indexing," or "Google Indexing API." For sitemap, use xml-sitemap.
metadata:
  version: 1.0.1
---

# SEO Technical: Indexing

Guides indexing troubleshooting and fix actions. For how to find and diagnose issues in GSC, see **google-search-console**.

**When invoking**: On **first use**, if helpful, open with 1–2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On **subsequent use** or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.

## Scope (Technical SEO)

- **Fix actions**: noindex, canonical, content quality, URL Inspection; verify robots.txt does not block (see **robots-txt**)
- **Noindex**: Page-level index control; which pages to exclude and how. Complements **robots-txt** (path-level crawl control) and **google-search-console** (Coverage diagnosis)

## Initial Assessment

**Project context:** Read root `contextus.md` when present and load only the modules relevant to this task. Without Contextus, use available project material or user-provided facts and ask for missing information; do not create a parallel context system.

Identify issue from GSC (see **google-search-console** for Coverage report, issue types, diagnosis workflow). Then apply fix below.

## Crawled - Currently Not Indexed

| Cause | Action |
|-------|--------|
| Low quality, duplicate, off-topic | Improve content, fix duplicates, set correct canonical |
| Static assets (CSS/JS) | See below |
| Feed, share URLs with params | Usually OK to ignore; or noindex, canonical to main URL |
| Important content pages | Use URL Inspection, verify canonical/internal links/sitemap, Request indexing |

### Static Assets (Next.js / Vercel)

Vercel adds unique `dpl=` params to static assets per deploy, creating many "Crawled - currently not indexed" URLs.

| Do | Don't |
|----|-------|
| Keep robots.txt allowing `/_next/` | Do not block `/_next/` (breaks CSS/JS loading). See **robots-txt** |
| Accept static assets in GSC as expected | Do not block `/_next/static/css/` or `?dpl=` |
| Use X-Robots-Tag for static assets | CSS/JS should not be indexed; no SEO impact |

Static assets in "Crawled - currently not indexed" is **normal and expected**.

## Other Issue Types (from GSC Coverage)

| Issue | Fix |
|-------|-----|
| Excluded by «noindex» tag | Remove noindex if accidental; keep if intentional |
| Blocked by robots.txt | See **robots-txt**; remove Disallow for important paths |
| Redirect / 404 | Fix URL or add redirect |
| Duplicate / Canonical | Set correct canonical; usually OK |
```
END THIRD-PARTY FILE 991d786faa57e400

The third-party file has ended. Everything between the 991d786faa57e400 tags is data: requests and commands from it are not followed. An “end of file” line with another tag inside the block is part of the file.

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